Author: Steve

Hot Dog Profits Premium member Bob writes,

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I am looking for larger size hot dogs such as 1 to 1  and  2 to 1….do you have a clue who might make these?

Thank you,

Bob

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For the newbies out there a 1 to1 is a one pound hot dog. Two to one means there are 2 hot dogs in one pound so a 2 to 1 is a half pound hot dog.

My biggest dogs are 4 to 1 and those are pretty easy to source. But I don’t have a source for these monster dogs.

How about it slingers? Anyone know of a source for really big hot dogs?

Let us know in the comments!

-Steve

 

Hey Slingers,

I used to struggle with how to transport a few leftover hot dogs. Then one day it hit me…

(Feel free to share this, lol. Click the Facebook icon under the picture.)

If you are looking for a partner to help with your hot dog vending business, think twice.

This week I have been getting a lot of email from newbie slingers asking about partnerships. As these slingers found out, I have a very strong opinion about business partnerships as you will see.

In talking with many newbie hot dog cart owners, I have heard many different reasons for wanting a partner. Some say that the partner has start up money. Others say that the partner is good at bookkeeping. One even told me that the partner is the one who will get the health permit.

In reality, all of these are reasons are not the real reason. The real reason is simpler than that. You ready?

Here is the true reason that newbies seek parners: The newbie is just nervous. That’s all it is!

If you think about it, you can do everything that needs to be done to get your hot dog biz off the ground. You don’t need a partner for any of it.

Money can be raised or worked for. Permits can be gotten. Bookkeeping is so easy with the right tools. Locations are not that hard to get if you know how. I can teach you all of that stuff, no problem. I guarantee it.

But if you take on a partner, here is what will happen. You’ll start working together to open the business and things will be fine at first. You’ll both be excited at the prospect of the fun and freedom that running your own hot dog biz offers.

But inevitably one person will start to feel like they are doing more work than the other. Or you will have a disagreement on your business strategy. Sometimes one partner feels like they deserve more of the profits for whatever reason.

Bad feelings will occur sooner or later. These feelings will creep up on you at the same time that your business is taking shape and growing.

Then one day you will realize that your business is now fully operational and you don’t need any help. Looking back you’ll realize that you never really did. You could have done it by yourself and got to the very same place you are right now. But guess what? You are now tied to someone who you no longer like very much.

I’ve seen it happen many times. In fact it has happened to me.

Write these words on your bathroom mirror so you see them every day:

“A partnership is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.”

I’m not saying that partnerships never work. I’m just saying that you should think REALLY HARD about why you want a partner in your hot dog vending business. Then ask yourself if it’s really just a case of nerves. I bet you will find that deep down inside, you know you can do this on your own.

I know you can. And if you need help, I’m always here for you.

-Steve

Quick but powerful topic today: What’s the number one thing that you did in your hot dog biz that made all the difference?

Let us know in the comments!

-Steve

Does mayonnaise need to be kept cool on a hot dog cart?

When I was a kid we used to have a lot of block parties in my neighborhood. Everyone would bring a dish and set it on a long table in the middle of the street. If the temperature was above 75 my mom would always cast a wary eye at the bowl of potato salad as if it had the potential to kill everyone within a 100 yard radius.

Does mayo go bad in hot weather? New Hot Dog Profits reader Art has some great info on the subject. He writes…

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Hi, I am new to this hot dog cart life and we plan on opening our cart this spring, should be fun, thanks for all the info that is here Steve, we really appreciate it.

Now, it is my turn for putting some information out there.

I want to address the concern people have about mayo and keeping it cool outside. Most, if not all mayos, have a high PH of around 4.2 – 4.5 and if the mayo is a commercially made it was definitely made with pasteurized eggs which makes it virtually impossible for those pesky little micro-organisms to invade the dressing and make you sick.

Years ago some people made their own mayo and may have used unpasteurized eggs which of course could possibly cause issues, leading to the horror stories of people getting sick from potato salad left in the trunk and other interesting events. My mother worked for the health department for years and I have been Serve-Safe certified for many years (we owned a restaurant a few years ago) and in all the Serve-Safe classes I have taken they have told us that mayo does NOT need to be refrigerated even if it is outside.

With that said, your local health departments may have rules and or regulations that require mayo to be refrigerated for some reason and of course you must follow their policies. With all this said, please check with your local authorities and follow what they recommend or require and you won’t go wrong.

Art

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Thanks Art for taking the time to share some well thought out information!

I think the most important point here is to only serve commercially made mayonnaise. The pasteurization is critical as you pointed out.

Yes, mayo is very acidic (right up there with ketchup) and acidic environments severely inhibit the production of bacteria. The funny thing is that acids are more reactive, and therefore kill bacteria more efficiently at higher temperatures.

However this does not mean you should leave your mayo out in the sun. There is more going on here than just acid vs. bacteria.

The bulk of mayonnaise is comprised of oils. Oils (lipids to you food chemists out there)  become rancid very quickly at higher temperatures. While they may not make a person physically ill, rancid lipids taste bad, smell bad, and look bad.

For this reason I still keep my mayonnaise in a cooler at all times on my hot dog cart. I suggest you all do too.

What do you say slingers? I realize that not all health departments allow mayo on a mobile food unit, but if you use it how do you handle your mayo on your hot dog cart?

-Steve

Hey Slingers,

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the prayers and well wishes. I am truly blessed to be able to serve such a wonderful group of people as you!!!

Here are some details about what happened:

My family and I were traveling through New Mexico when a life threatening medical condition was revealed due to the 7000 foot altitude in the high desert. We never would have known about this ticking time bomb if we had stayed home in St. Louis at 500 ft.

We were able to make it to  the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque where an emergency procedure was performed to correct the problem.

A 100 percent recovery is expected. Praise the Lord!

So – I am back! Both HotDogProfits.com and our super affordable, world class, hot dog training website HotDogProfitsPremium.com are fully staffed and ready to serve you.

I look forward to seeing you in the members area. I missed you!

-Steve

 

 

Hey slingers, just had a family medical emergency that I need to attend to. I will be off-line until probably Tuesday. Just wanted to let you all know and I will get back to you and answer your emails and soon as I can. Thank you for understanding!

-Steve

I hope 2015 exceeds all your hopes and dreams. Let me know how I can help!

-Steve